I tried to be quicker with uploading this next chapter, but, still, I have it up and ready. It isn't too terribly late, from my own personal goal, I suppose. ^_^'

Anyway, I would still like to thank those who are reading and reviewing. I want for this story to be enjoyed, and so far I have received positivity. So, thank you! I hope these characters still appear to be in-character, from the situation they are in.

In the previous chapter, simply titled as "Fear" demonstrated just that. It was not only Mello's fear that was so obviously shown, because of Vince, but Near's and Matt's, as well. They are afraid for Mello, while Mello is afraid for them and of Vince.

Disclaimer: I do not own "Death Note" or any of its characters.

Chapter 10

Lies and Decisions

Once Mello had gotten back to his room, after his little run-in with Matt, he closed the door behind him and locked it. He was sure Matt would try to intrude on him sooner or later, before the sun came up, and he really didn't feel like dealing with him again... He did, however, feel bad about talking so harshly towards Matt.

I didn't mean to act like that, Mello thought, as he breathed out a huge sigh and rested his back against the door, sliding down to the floor. He raised his chocolate bar and snapped it between his teeth. He must think I'm a lunatic, after seeing that whole display… and I told him I wasn't scared. I know he didn't buy that lie; it looked so obvious!

Immediately after Mello had turned away from Matt, when he was on the way back to his room, Mello imagined that scene of Vince shooting Matt—one of the clear images of his recent nightmare. Picturing that all over again made the blond feel even worse about his tone of voice with him. … I'll apologize to him later. If he asks about my actions again, I'll try to convince him that my nerves are shot from lack of sleep, and I snapped.

Mello wasn't sure if Matt would buy that… Okay, he was absolutely positive that Matt wouldn't buy that or, at least, not automatically. He snapped off another chunk of his chocolate bar and sighed. It didn't matter. Matt had already seen his façade slip, and he was going to pester Mello about it until he was to give in. Like that would happen.

Finishing off the last bit of his chocolate bar, Mello crumpled up its wrapper and tossed it to the other side of the room. It hit the opposite wall and fell to the floor. Mello leaned against the door more comfortably and sighed once more.

His mind had been going through so much, ever since Shawn died. Mello still felt truly guilty for the poor boy's murder. Even though he had not personally committed the act, Shawn had befriended Mello. If Shawn had never even met him, the boy would still be alive… That was why Mello blamed himself, even though Vince was the culprit. It wasn't like he knew Vince was watching him, but it still didn't change the fact that Shawn was dead… and there was nothing Mello could have possibly done to prevent that. Even though Mello knew he couldn't have stopped it, he was still apart of that boy's death.

Whenever Mello remembered Shawn's peaceful expression in the hospital, it filled him with a sense of disturbance, as well as calmness. He was immensely glad that the child didn't die afraid or alone; however, he would always have the image of that boy's eyes closing forever and the feeling of his hand falling limp within Mello's own hand… That had really shocked him and chilled him to the bone thinking about it. He felt the worst for Shawn's parents, who were truly suffering the most. He knew the unreal pain of losing the ones you love so dear. Those images bothered Mello, and he was sure it would haunt him for some time. Shawn's coffin was not only lying in the ground, but within his conscience, as well…

Then, there was the note from Vince:

"It's the beginning of the end. You will not see me tonight, but soon you shall. Be prepared for that meeting, Mihael Keehl."

This is what the note had said, and Mello didn't have to decipher it. When he was least expecting it, Vince would come for him. What Vince was planning for him, he did not know. Mello did feel, however, that Vince would not just kill him, and leave it at that. He knew Vince wouldn't get enough enjoyment from that alone. He knows this, because of all of Vince's crimes and their connections. The incident with Shawn was enough to say that Vince was a sadist. As for L and his brothers… Mello feared that Vince would try to kill them first, before ever deciding to kill him.

He began to feel cold chills climbing up his back again and, crisscrossing his arms, lightly rubbed the sides of his goose-bumped arms with his hands. Why… Why do I have to be so afraid of him? How can I ever expect to approach him, if I can't control my fear of him?

Mello was not sure, at the moment, on how he would do this, but he was still fully intending to kill Vince, whenever he got the chance. Mello had never killed anyone before, nor did he ever really imagine himself doing it, but Vince… He felt that he could truly kill that man. He wanted to avenge his parents, Shawn, and anyone else who was so unfortunate as to cross paths with him. I'll get him… I'll get him, eventually, and make him regret ever coming into my life and stealing those lives… Evil can't hide forever.

His doorknob suddenly jiggled. The abrupt sound made Mello freeze where he sat, but he quickly settled down. Matt. It's gotta be Matt.

Mello then felt the small vibration of someone knocking on the other side of the wooden door.

"Mels, hey, Mels, open up!"

Ugh, I knew it. Mello rolled his eyes and rested his head in the palms of his hands. He rubbed his temples with the tips of his fingers, as Matt continued to tap the door.

"Come on, Mels, open the door. I know you're not asleep!"

Mello raised his head out of his hands and quietly scooted himself a few inches away from the door, remaining as silent as he possibly could. Why can't he just get that I don't want to talk?

Near watched Matt, as he continued his constant knocking on the door. He shook his head and tapped the brunette's shoulder.

Matt stopped the repeated rasping and looked down at Near. The white haired boy motioned, with his hand, for Matt to get closer to him. Matt followed that and lowered his head to Near's face.

"Matt," Near softly whispered, "no matter how many times you knock on the door, Mello will not open it. He is not going to say anything, either."

"Then what should we do?" Matt asked him, also whispering. "I don't wanna wait till later to talk about this."

"You're good at those video games of yours," Near began, confusing Matt a little. "I've seen you play those games, and I have played them alongside you. Locked doors are a common obstacle, in some of those games. How did you get through them?"

"… With a key," Matt said, narrowing his eyes a bit. What the heck is he saying? We don't have a key.

"Yes, but, if you didn't have a key, what did you do?"

"I… found other alternatives," Matt answered, mentally slapping himself in the face. Geez, I'm an idiot; he's telling me to find a way to pick the lock.

"I got it," Matt said, hurrying down the hall to his room.

Near followed him a few seconds later, only for Matt to exit his room as soon as Near approached it. "You know how to unlock it?"

"Yep," Matt grinned. He then held up something between his index finger and thumb.

Near leaned in a little closer, trying to see what it was. The darkness was partially hiding the small, thin object. "Is… Is that a sewing needle, Matt?"

"Yeah, it is," Matt answered sheepishly. "You're probably wondering why I have it. Well… it was my mom's. She sewed a lot and taught me a thing or two, actually," he chuckled shortly, and then his tone evened out again. "After she died, her sewing needles became apart of the few possessions I still have of her."

"Matt, are you sure you want to use one of your mother's belongings to unlock a door?" Near asked him.

"Yeah," Matt replied, with a smile. "My mom was always big on trying to keep people together, so I think she would've wanted me to use this," he began to walk towards Mello's room again, and Near followed. "It's for a good cause, after all."

Did he give up? Mello wondered. Matt had stopped banging on his door, and he couldn't hear anything else… Maybe he finally got the picture.

He sighed lightly and got to his feet. He walked back to his room's bed and allowed himself to fall into it. Mello knew he still wasn't going back to sleep, but what else could he do?

He got back under the bed's covers, rested his head on his pillow, and stared up at the pale ceiling. Mello temporarily thought of how this room was bigger than the one he had in Wilshire, but his mind quickly wandered back to Vince. He closed his eyes, envisioning the words written on that note again. No matter how many times it ran through his head, Mello was absolutely certain that he would be the one to finally end Vince. If this man seriously thought he could kill him or his family, than he was sorely mistaken. Since there was no possible way of tracking down Vince, Mello would just have to wait and see what would happen. He knew Vince would make himself known eventually, no matter how many cameras L had wired around the apartment… He was sure L knew this, himself, but they really needed to use this precaution anyway.

Mello's hands clenched when he thought about his dream again… about L, Matt, and Near being killed before his very eyes. He would not allow for that nightmare to become a reality, even if it meant going to whatever extremes necessary to prevent it.

All of a sudden, Mello could hear his room's door creak open. He froze and kept his eyes closed. Before he could question, within his mind, as to whom it was, a familiar voice spoke.

"Mels, quit faking. I know you're awake!"

Mello's bloodshot eyes flew open to see the brunette's dark silhouette looming over his face. "Matt?"

"And Near, too," Matt said, leaning back up and pointing to the albino boy beside him. The room was dark, but it definitely wasn't hard to spot Near. His lighter figure stood very closely to Matt.

Mello blinked once, then twice, before finally speaking again. "Matt… Near… How'd you guys get in here?" he sat up now, staring at them incredulously. "I locked that door!"

"Well, I am a hacker, after all," Matt boasted, a smirk obviously revealing itself in his tone.

"Jackass," Mello mumbled under his breath. "And you dragged Near along."

"Yeah!" Matt partially exclaimed. "We're all brothers, and we need to discuss your problems."

"Ugh, what is it with you guys and 'my problems'?" Mello exasperated, falling back onto his pillow. "This conversation can wait, or, better yet, not happen at all."

"Uh, no, drama queen," Matt responded, grabbing Mello's wrist and jerking him back up. "We're talking about it."

"Matt!" Mello yelled, slapping away his younger brother's hand away, "Would you just quit it?"

"No!" Matt adamantly retorted. He wasn't going to give in; that much was obvious.

"Mello," Near spoke up a little louder than usual, gaining Mello's attention, "stop and listen to what we have to say. This won't take long, if you cooperate."

Mello stared at both of his brothers. He really didn't see the importance in talking about what had happened in the kitchen, earlier. It was obvious that Matt had told Near about it, and now they were both 'concerned'. He had gotten spooked, simple as that. And his nightmare? It was scary, but it wasn't going to happen. The possibility of it actually happening was very real, but it still wasn't going to happen. He would make sure of it. At the moment, all Mello knew he had to do was to hear his brothers out and convince them that he was all right. He wasn't even going to bother telling them about his nightmare; that would only worry Near and Matt even more than they already were.

"Well?" Matt questioned. "Are you gonna mellow out or not?"

Mello reached over to his nightstand and turned on his room's lamp. He wanted for Matt to see his unamused expression. "Bad pun, Matt, and, yeah, I'll listen… Satisfied?"

"Yep," Matt replied, suddenly making himself comfortable on his older brother's mattress. He sat down—much to Mello's dismay—turned towards the blond and pulled both of his legs into a crisscross formation. He then made room for Near to sit in the open space between him and Mello. Matt purposely put Near there, because he knew how easily Near could make Mello crack under that stone-hard gaze of his.

Near sat there, also turning in Mello's direction, and immediately began to study Mello's expression. Mello only appeared to be irritated, at the moment. Once the conversation began, he might be able to spot a different emotion.

"Guys, I thought this conversation wasn't supposed to take long," Mello grumbled, folding his arms over his chest. "Why are you sitting down?"

Matt ignored Mello's question and asked one of his own. "So, what was up with you downstairs?"

Ugh, Matt, stubborn as always. Mello turned his gaze from Matt to Near, who was watching him intently. He was very close to Mello, and it was internally making him squirm. And this, right here, is why it'll be hard to convince them I'm fine.

"So… you guys are really serious about this whole 'talk it through' conversation?" Mello questioned them. His left eye desperately wanted to twitch in annoyance.

"Yep," Matt quickly answered, "now tell us what your problem is."

Mello almost cringed at hearing the word 'problem', again. In this situation, he really hated that word. It made him feel like he was crazy, or something. "Well, what do you think, Matt? I got a creepy, obscure note from a man who is completely insane, and I haven't been able to sleep in days. I already wasn't, before…"

Mello stopped for a brief moment to see if Matt was following him. He knew Near was, and he was not about to look back down into the boy's inquiring, grey stare. Mello made sure to remain as even-tempered as possible, as he continued. "As for what happened in the kitchen, think of it like this: I went downstairs, in the dark, and haven't been able to sleep. My mind is not up to par, right now. After everything that's happened, wouldn't it be normal for me to freak out a little from running into someone in the dark?"

"That's true, and all," Matt said, "but your reaction seemed more… well, petrified, really. I know the past week's been overwhelming, but what you just said doesn't seem to complete your reaction. Not only were you scared, but you got really mad at me-"

"Okay, stop right there," Mello interrupted, halting Matt's words. "First off, I wouldn't go as far to say that I was 'petrified' or 'scared'. You startled me; that's the right way to say it."

As Near had expected, Mello objected that he actually was afraid. Saying that he was simply 'startled', did not really match what Matt had told him.

"Second," the blond continued, "I'm sorry I spoke to you like I had…" his tone lowered a little and he glanced away. His tired looking eyes seemed to narrow in thought. "I guess I was just embarrassed about my reaction or whatever… That's all I have to say, really."

The air was silent for a moment, and then Near finally spoke. "Are you telling us the truth, Mello?"

Mello then dared to look Near in the face and straight into his eyes—the very same, wide, grey eyes that had been so explicitly frightened in his dream. Mello wanted to look away from Near immediately, but didn't. If he had, Near would assume he had been lying about his emotions… Well, he had been. Mello kept his gaze as steady as possible, as he told his youngest brother, "Yes, I am."

Mello knew, from a slight narrow of Near's eyes, that he wasn't buying it. Near was very good at reading people, and Mello knew it would take a lot more to even, somewhat, convince him. He also knew that Matt would, more than likely, side with whatever Near would say, because of that trait, as well. How could he persuade them?

"Mello, even now, you appear to be unnerved," Near responded.

Direct, as always, Mello thought, still keeping his gaze fixed on Near's studying eyes.

"Is everything that you have said all that's bothering you?" Near asked, hoping that Mello would admit to something. He was not going to call Mello out on anything, right in front of him; he wanted for Mello to just openly tell them anything. Near understood that Mello's explanation was realistically true, but he also very well knew that Mello's feelings went far deeper than that.

Mello tiredly looked away from the pale boy's eyes, because he felt that his held up expression would soon betray him. All his mind would allow him to imagine, at the moment, was Near's terrified eyes from his dream. He didn't want to look at either one of his brothers, for Mello was afraid of those images. The more he thought about them, the more exhausted he felt… He was just so tired…

"Near… Yes," Mello mumbled in response, as he suddenly fell on his side, onto his bed's right side pillow. His eyelids relaxed midway and he slightly curled up into the bed's sheets.

"Mels," Matt began to ask, as he and Near leaned towards Mello a little. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Mello quietly answered, "and there's really nothing else bothering me, guys… I… I've been really tired, you know…"

Near rotated his head around, to look at Matt. The brunette's eyes showed confusion, as well as a sense of consideration. Near looked back at Mello, to see that the blond had seemed to have fallen asleep… Even though it appeared that Mello truly was tired, Near still knew that Mello was holding back. It was obvious, and he was sure Matt knew it too. The reality was that Mello was not going to share anything further, and there wasn't really anything he or Matt could do to pull that truth out of him…

Near leaned over and placed one of his hands on Mello's upturned, left shoulder. He lightly shook him, checking to see if Mello was still awake… He really did appear to be asleep. Mello's body was completely relaxed, as well as his closed eyelids, and he was soundly inhaling and exhaling. There wasn't a tense muscle at all. Did he really fall asleep that quickly?

Matt breathed out a low sigh of defeat and placed his hand on Near's left shoulder. He soon saw Near glance behind him, from the touch. Matt leaned in closer to the side of Near's head and whispered, "Let's go."

Near fully turned his head around and looked into Matt's cerulean eyes. Matt's expression clearly told how disappointed he was about the turnout of this attempted meeting. Near knew how much Matt hated this, and he did too… but it appeared that, whether their eldest brother was asleep or not, Mello had decided to deal with these problems on his own.

At first glance, it didn't seem like anything good nor bad had resulted from this meeting. That was incorrect. Near and Matt knew that Mello was obviously stressed because of Vince's presence in his life, again. The truly bad thing was that, even though Mello had said it was only a sense of bad nerves, he was not being completely ingenuous. They could stay, 'wake' him up, and continue to question Mello, but Near and Matt both knew it wouldn't reap anything fruitful. It was a rather quick defeat, but Near and Matt would just have to accept Mello's answer as 'truth', for now.

Matt slid off of the bed first, while Near maneuvered himself off of the bed's blankets, and pulled the sheets comfortably up and over Mello's relaxed shoulders. Before the white haired boy got completely off of the bed, as well, he gazed down at Mello's sleeping expression. He slightly narrowed his eyes in concern, as he watched Mello's soft breathing pattern continue on. Near breathed through his nose silently and then proceeded to back off of the bed. As he reached over to turn off the lamp's light, Near prayed, God, help him…

After Matt and Near had left Mello's room, and closed the door behind them, Mello's eyes opened. He glanced at the door and stared at it for an extra few seconds, hoping that the two really had left. He had only pretended to fall asleep, in hopes that they would leave. Apparently, he had done a well enough job of tricking them. It was either that, or they had finally gotten the picture.

Mello took a deep breath, frowned, and snuggled down into the blankets that Near had so kindly covered him with. Even with his eyes being closed, it was obvious as to whose shadow was looming over Mello's face… It made him feel a little guilty for playing the sleep card on them, as well as lying.

He knew they cared, he really did… but he truly did not want for them, or even L, to get fully involved into what his mind was portraying. They were all, already, involved in this case with Vince, but all Mello wanted was for Vince to stay as far away from his family as possible. He would deal with him… He could deal with him.

This is driving me crazy! L's keeping us all under lockdown, because Vince followed us. Just taking a step out of this building could be a risk, but staying under this roof won't change anything! No matter how long L looks out of those security cameras, and has those agents keeping a lookout for Vince, he won't find him. L may be the world's greatest detective, but Vince has left nothing for him to follow… There's nothing he can do.

Mello's left hand clutched the blanket, and he pulled it up to his chin. I can't just stay here and do nothing, for much longer. To catch Vince myself, I would have to get out of this apartment and seclude myself. If he knows where I live, now, then it shouldn't be hard for him to follow me. Only me… That's just a theory, though. If he doesn't know, and I still seclude myself, it would take awhile for him to find me, or vice versa… There's no other way…

A shaky breath released itself from the blond's throat, as he laid there. He felt helpless and immobile, feelings he desperately loathed. Was there a way he could prevent Vince from terrorizing his family? There didn't appear to be any open opportunities, as long as he was confined to the inside of this apartment. At this rate, it felt like it would take away far too much time to keep waiting, like this. They had only been in this new apartment for a little over two days time, but Mello had already known that nothing would harvest from sitting around… This case would have to be approached more boldly. He knew Vince was waiting for him and, though he was nervous, felt more than ready to face him.

I'll find a way… I have to find a way… for them…those who are dead and alive.

Well, you read it; Mello has decided to go at this alone, if he is able. That is what this chapter's title, "Lies and Decisions" is based upon, of course. Mello lied to his brothers about his 'problems', though of course they don't buy it, and has decided to go about dealing with this situation on his own. He is very irritable, when dealing with his brothers here (at the ending of the last chapter and through bits of this one), but it is only a mixture of embarrassment, frustration, and anxiety. It is all a big bundle of strong emotions and memories (Shawn's death, his nightmare, the note) that is throughly stressing Mello, as you can only imagine. He deeply cares for them and does not want to risk anything happening to his family.

As for Near and Matt, as you read, they had truly hoped that they, Mello's brothers, could help him a little. No such luck, not right now. Now all they can do is try again later and still stand behind him, regardless. They have a lot of thinking to do, in this.

I hope this chapter was good and enjoyed; I wanted for everything, as usual, to be written and dealt with in the best way.

Thank you, for reading.